One of the items on my ‘to do’ list while I am in the
Philippines was to enroll in a badminton training program for several sessions.
I did register last week, met up with my trainer and agreed on our session at
6:00 am Monday morning. I scheduled it early so as not to interfere any of my
time with my family.
I was nursing a fever last night. Hoping for a quick fix, I
took a double dose of Vitamin C, decolgen and alaxan. I was trying to decide if
I should cancel my appointment with my trainer early morning which was supposedly my first day of training.
I ended up not cancelling my appointment. In the morning, my fever subsided and I felt
my body could handle a first day of training. I was glad I showed up.
Woody Allen as cited by Mindy Kaling ( writer and star of
the TV series The Mindy Project) in her book “Is Everyone Hanging out Without
Me? And Other Concerns (2011)” mentioned that ‘eighty percent of success is
just showing up (p. 50)’. You won’t be
able to catch opportunities without being there (Kanter, 2013). That is not to
say that I will be a top performing badminton player just by showing up. Being the top player all over the world is
not my intention. Besides, I am a
little too late for that. Let’s leave that to the younger athletes. However, I
do intend to be a better badminton player.
The first step in living a life is also showing up. Showing
up in a job interview may get you your first job. Showing up on a first date
may start a great relationship. Showing up as a guest in a Toastmaster’s
meeting may start a wonderful speaking journey for you and may open up lasting
friendships. Showing up at a girls’
dinner outing shows that you care and improves your relationships. Showing up
at your kid’s pre-school graduation strengthens your bond with your child.
You get the gist. In the end, people we meet along the way
may affect us significantly or trivially. General Colin Powell (2012), in his
book ‘It Worked for Me’, explains that no individual should be singled out as
the best mentor nor a single situation be singled out as the greatest single
failure or achievement. He declares that, “ No matter how significant or life-changing
your greatest hit or miss might be, neither even begins to define all of who
you are. Each of us is a product of all our experiences and all our
interactions with other people (p.220).” Show up if you want to live a life.
Show up if you want to be successful.
To show up… or
not…the choice is yours…
References:
Kaling, M. (2011). Is everyone hanging out without me? And
other concerns (E-
book)
Kanter, R. (February 14, 2013). The first secret of success
is showing up. Harvard
Business
Review Blog Network. Retrieved from: http://blogs.hbr.org/kanter/2013/02/the-first-secret-of-success-is.html
Powell, C. (2012). It worked for me (E-book).